Norsepower’s Rotor Sail Solution has already been installed on three vessels and has achieved over 35,000 hours in operation, saving more than 4,500 tonnes of CO2 in the process. The solution has delivered independently verified fuel savings with potential of up to 20%.

Commenting on the type approval, Norsepower CEO Tuomas Riski said: “We are very proud to be the first company to have type approval granted to an auxiliary wind propulsion system onboard a commercial ship. Having a type approval design certificate is very important to us. Clearly, it provides shipowners, operators, and charterers with a level of assurance when investing in the Rotor Sail Solution, but in the long term, it removes yet another hurdle to the realisation of renewable wind energy propulsion systems at a scale that supports shipping’s transformation to a low carbon transport sector.”

Geir Dugstad, Director of Ship Classification and Technical Director at DNV GL, added: “To help reduce shipping’s environmental impact we will need many different fuel and technology options, which is why we were very pleased that Norsepower asked us to be part of this innovative wind propulsion project.”